922.162—Definitions.

(a) The following definitions apply to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary regulations. To the extent that a definition appears in § 922.3 and this section, the definition in this section governs.

Acts means the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Protection Act, as amended, (FKNMSPA) (Pub. L. 101-605), and the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA), also known as Title III of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (MPRSA) (16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. ).

Adverse effect means any factor, force, or action that independently or cumulatively damages, diminishes, degrades, impairs, destroys, or otherwise harms any Sanctuary resource, as defined in section 302(8) of the NMSA (16 U.S.C. 1432(8)) and in this section, or any of the qualities, values, or purposes for which the Sanctuary is designated.

Airboat means a vessel operated by means of a motor driven propeller that pushes air for momentum.

Areas To Be Avoided means the areas in which vessel operations are prohibited pursuant to section 6(a)(1) of the FKNMSPA (see § 922.164(a) ). Appendix VII to this subpart sets forth the geographic coordinates of these areas, including any modifications thereto made in accordance with section 6(a)(3) of the FKNMSPA.

Closed means all entry or use is prohibited.

Coral means but is not limited to the corals of the Class Hydrozoa (stinging and hydrocorals); Class Anthozoa, Subclass Hexacorallia, Order Scleractinia (stony corals); Class Anthozoa, Subclass Ceriantipatharia, Order Antipatharia (black corals); and Class Anthozoa, Subclass Ocotocorallia, Order Gorgonacea, species Gorgonia ventalina and Gorgonia flabellum (sea fans).

Coral area means marine habitat where coral growth abounds including patch reefs, outer bank reefs, deepwater banks, and hardbottoms.

Coral reefs means the hard bottoms, deep-water banks, patch reefs, and outer bank reefs.

Ecological Reserve means an area of the Sanctuary consisting of contiguous, diverse habitats, within which uses are subject to conditions, restrictions and prohibitions, including access restrictions, intended to minimize human influences, to provide natural spawning, nursery, and permanent residence areas for the replenishment and genetic protection of marine life, and also to protect and preserve natural assemblages of habitats and species within areas representing a broad diversity of resources and habitats found within the Sanctuary. Appendix IV to this subpart sets forth the geographic coordinates of these areas.

Existing Management Area means an area of the Sanctuary that is within or is a resource management area established by NOAA or by another Federal authority of competent jurisdiction as of the effective date of these regulations where protections above and beyond those provided by Sanctuary-wide prohibitions and restrictions are needed to adequately protect resources. Appendix II to this subpart sets forth the geographic coordinates of these areas.

Exotic species means a species of plant, invertebrate, fish, amphibian, reptile or mammal whose natural zoogeographic range would not have included the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, or Gulf of Mexico without passive or active introduction to such area through anthropogenic means.

Fish means finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and all forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds.

Fishing means:

(1) The catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; the attempted catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; any other activity which can reasonably be expected to result in the catching, taking, or harvesting of fish; or any operation at sea in support of, or in preparation for, any activity described in this subparagraph (1).

(2) Such term does not include any scientific research activity which is conducted by a scientific research vessel.

Hardbottom means a submerged marine community comprised of organisms attached to exposed solid rock substrate. Hardbottom is the substrate to which corals may attach but does not include the corals themselves.

Idle speed only/no-wake means a speed at which a boat is operated that is no greater than 4 knots or does not produce a wake.

Idle speed only/no-wake zone means a portion of the Sanctuary where the speed at which a boat is operated may be no greater than 4 knots or may not produce a wake.

Length overall (LOA) or length means, as used in § 922.167 with respect to a vessel, the horizontal distance, rounded to the nearest foot (with 0.5 ft and above rounded upward), between the foremost part of the stem and the aftermost part of the stern, excluding bowsprits, rudders, outboard motor brackets, and similar fittings or attachments.

Live rock means any living marine organism or an assemblage thereof attached to a hard substrate, including dead coral or rock but not individual mollusk shells (e.g., scallops, clams, oysters). Living marine organisms associated with hard bottoms, banks, reefs, and live rock may include, but are not limited to: sea anemones (Phylum Cnidaria: Class Anthozoa: Order Actinaria); sponges (Phylum Porifera); tube worms (Phylum Annelida), including fan worms, feather duster worms, and Christmas tree worms; bryozoans (Phylum Bryzoa); sea squirts (Phylum Chordata); and marine algae, including Mermaid's fan and cups (Udotea spp.), corraline algae, green feather, green grape algae (Caulerpa spp.) and watercress (Halimeda spp.).

Marine life species means any species of fish, invertebrate, or plant included in sections (2), (3), or (4) of Rule 46-42.001, Florida Administrative Code, reprinted in appendix VIII to this subpart.

Military activity means an activity conducted by the Department of Defense with or without participation by foreign forces, other than civil engineering and other civil works projects conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

No-access buffer zone means a portion of the Sanctuary where vessels are prohibited from entering regardless of the method of propulsion.

No motor zone means an area of the Sanctuary where the use of internal combustion motors is prohibited. A vessel with an internal combustion motor may access a no motor zone only through the use of a push pole, paddle, sail, electric motor or similar means of operation but is prohibited from using it's internal combustion motor.

Not available for immediate use means not readily accessible for immediate use, e.g., by being stowed unbaited in a cabin, locker, rod holder, or similar storage area, or by being securely covered and lashed to a deck or bulkhead.

Officially marked channel means a channel marked by Federal, State of Florida, or Monroe County officials of competent jurisdiction with navigational aids except for channels marked idle speed only/no wake.

Personal watercraft means any jet or air-powered watercraft operated by standing, sitting, or kneeling on or behind the vessel, in contrast to a conventional boat, where the operator stands or sits inside the vessel, and that uses an inboard engine to power a water jet pump for propulsion, instead of a propeller as in a conventional boat.

Prop dredging means the use of a vessel's propulsion wash to dredge or otherwise alter the seabed of the Sanctuary. Prop dredging includes, but is not limited to, the use of propulsion wash deflectors or similar means of dredging or otherwise altering the seabed of the Sanctuary. Prop dredging does not include the disturbance to bottom sediments resulting from normal vessel propulsion.

Prop scarring means the injury to seagrasses or other immobile organisms attached to the seabed of the Sanctuary caused by operation of a vessel in a manner that allows its propeller or other running gear, or any part thereof, to cause such injury (e.g., cutting seagrass rhizomes). Prop scarring does not include minor disturbances to bottom sediments or seagrass blades resulting from normal vessel propulsion.

Residential shoreline means any man-made or natural:

(1) Shoreline,

(2) Canal mouth,

(3) Basin, or

(4) Cove adjacent to any residential land use district, including improved subdivision, suburban residential or suburban residential limited, sparsely settled, urban residential, and urban residential mobile home under the Monroe County land development regulations.

Sanctuary means the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Sanctuary Preservation Area means an area of the Sanctuary that encompasses a discrete, biologically important area, within which uses are subject to conditions, restrictions and prohibitions, including access restrictions, to avoid concentrations of uses that could result in significant declines in species populations or habitat, to reduce conflicts between uses, to protect areas that are critical for sustaining important marine species or habitats, or to provide opportunities for scientific research. Appendix V to this subpart sets forth the geographic coordinates of these areas.

Sanctuary wildlife means any species of fauna, including avifauna, that occupy or utilize the submerged resources of the Sanctuary as nursery areas, feeding grounds, nesting sites, shelter, or other habitat during any portion of their life cycles.

Seagrass means any species of marine angiosperms (flowering plants) that inhabit portions of the seabed in the Sanctuary. Those species include, but are not limited to: Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass); Syringodium filiforme (manatee grass); Halodule wrightii (shoal grass); Halophila decipiens, H. engelmannii, H. johnsonii; and Ruppia maritima.

Special-use Area means an area of the Sanctuary set aside for scientific research and educational purposes, recovery or restoration of Sanctuary resources, monitoring, to prevent use or user conflicts, to facilitate access and use, or to promote public use and understanding of Sanctuary resources. Appendix VI to this subpart sets forth the geographic coordinates of these areas.

Stem means the foremost part of a vessel, consisting of a section of timber or fiberglass, or cast, forged, or rolled metal, to which the sides of the vessel are united at the fore end, with the lower end united to the keel, and with the bowsprit, if one is present, resting on the upper end.

Stern means the aftermost part of the vessel.

Tank vessel means any vessel that is constructed or adapted to carry, or that carries, oil or hazardous material in bulk as cargo or cargo residue, and that—

(1) Is a United States flag vessel;

(2) Operates on the navigable waters of the United States; or

(3) Transfers oil or hazardous material in a port or place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States [46 U.S.C. 2101 ].

Traditional fishing means those commercial or recreational fishing activities that were customarily conducted within the Sanctuary prior to its designation as identified in the Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan for this Sanctuary.

Tropical fish means any species included in section (2) of Rule 46-42.001, Florida Administrative Code, reproduced in appendix VIII to this subpart, or any part thereof.

Vessel means a watercraft of any description, including, but not limited to, motorized and non-motorized watercraft, personal watercraft, airboats, and float planes while maneuvering on the water, capable of being used as a means of transportation in/on the waters of the Sanctuary. For purposes of this part, the terms “vessel,” “watercraft,” and “boat” have the same meaning.

Wildlife Management Area means an area of the Sanctuary established for the management, protection, and preservation of Sanctuary wildlife resources, including such an area established for the protection and preservation of endangered or threatened species or their habitats, within which access is restricted to minimize disturbances to Sanctuary wildlife; to ensure protection and preservation consistent with the Sanctuary designation and other applicable law governing the protection and preservation of wildlife resources in the Sanctuary. Appendix III to this subpart lists these areas and their access restrictions.

(b) Other terms appearing in the regulations in this part are defined at 15 CFR 922.3, and/or in the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1401 et seq. and 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.

Code of Federal Regulations

[62 FR 32161, June 12, 1997, as amended at 66 FR 4369, Jan. 17, 2001; 74 FR 38094, July 31, 2009]